PROKHOROVKA RUSSIA
Warning shots
Russian officials have been angered by a new view of a key
Second World War tank clash. The battle of Prokhorovka
(12 July 1943) is celebrated as a pivotal Soviet victory over
German forces. However, new analysis by British historian
Ben Wheatley suggests Soviet forces were decimated.
Russia’s ambassador to Germany accused an article citing
Wheatley’s conclusions in German newspaper Die Welt of
attempting to “rewrite immutable historical facts”.TELL TIMAI EGYPT
Old spice
An ancient Egyptian perfume has been recreated
using residue found in two-millennia-old
amphoras. The residue was discovered during
an excavation of what is believed to be a fr agr ance
factory in the ancient city of Thmuis (now Tell
Timai), north of Cairo. Experts referred to ancient
recipes and used ingredients including myrrh,
cinnamon, olive oil and cardamom to recreate the
scent, described as strong, spicy and musky.415566PAMIR PLATEAU
CHINA
High times
The earliest known evidence of
cannabis use has been found in tombs
in far western China. Traces of the
drug were found in wooden burners in
the burial sites, which date back at
least 2,500 years. Experts think that
cannabis leaves were set alight in the
braziers as part of funerary rituals,
and that the smoke was inhaled for its
psychoactive properties.77A Soviet self-propelled gun advances during
the 1943 battle of Kursk, in which the clash
at Prokhorovka was a key actionGE
TT
Y^ I
MA
GE
S
Ancient Egyptian
women wearing
unguent cones
containing scent on
their heads. Would
it have been “strong,
spicy, musky”?